New Delhi
Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram has said that his Ministry was examining the objections raised by the indigenous communities against the ambitious Great Nicobar Island Development Project, envisaging a transshipment port, an international airport, a township and a power plant over more than 160 sq km of land.
“Yes, it is under examination. I had also answered a question in Parliament. We are currently examining the documents they have submitted. After that, we will decide the course of action,” Oram replied when asked if his Ministry was investigating complaints from tribal communities regarding the Great Nicobar Island Development Project.
The Minister was addressing a press conference on Monday after launching a booklet on the major achievements of the initiatives of his Ministry in the last 11 years of Modi Government. He highlighted the various tribal-centric initiatives like PM JANMAN, Sickle Cell Elimination Mission, celebration of 150th birth anniversary of tribal icon Birsa Munda as the Janjatiya Gaurav Varsh from 15th November 2024 to 15th November 2025, Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan, and Eklavya Vidyalayas among others.
On the contentious Great Nicobar Island Development Project, called ‘Holistic Development of Nicobar’, upon insistence by reporters as to what his Ministry seeks to ascertain vis a vis the complaints, the Minister said: “First, we need to determine whether the ‘gram sabha’ was held, what the ‘gram sabha’ recommended and whether there have been any violations.”
Incidentally, during a discussion in the Rajya Sabha on March 12 this year, Oram had feigned ignorance on any objections raised by the indigenous Nicobarese and Shompen communities, classified as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups. About 130 sq km of pristine forest inhabited by the communities are under threat of getting devastated by the Project.
Earlier, on December 12, last year, Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Durgadas Uikey too had informed the Lok Sabha regarding the Great Nicobar Island Development Project that the Shompen Policy “allows development proposals subject to due consultation with the concerned authorities, which has been done”. “A&N Administration has informed that the project will not disturb or displace any Shompen PVTG,” he added.
The Tribal Council of Little and Great Nicobar had withdrawn the no-objection certificate (NOC) it had issued in August 2022 for the denotification of 84.1 sq km of tribal reserve and diversion of 130 sq km of forests, alleging that important information was not revealed while seeking NOC. Around 853 sq km of the island’s total 910 sq km is designated as a tribal reserve under the Andaman and Nicobar Regulation, 1956.
In tribal reserves, the tribal communities own the land and have full rights to use it for their daily needs. However, transferring, acquiring, or selling land in these areas is strictly prohibited. For the safety and protection of the Shompen tribe, the Andaman and Nicobar Administration introduced the Policy on Shompen Tribe of Great Nicobar Island on May 22, 2015.
Informing about the achievements of his Ministry, Oram said that not a single stone would be left unturned in the field of development of tribes in the nation and that his Ministry is taking all-round initiatives in bridging the gap in the field of development of different tribes in the nation.
